At my age (44) with twins, there's not much choice. I'm happy to be birthing in a hospital when the time comes. But I am planning to deliver vaginally. I'm not interested in a C-section, unless, at that moment, the babes are upside down and sideways to make it impossible. My goal is to actually deliver. Hope that works out as planned.

I am rooting for you! Mine chose to be transverse, stacked face to face with legs in opposite directions the entire pregnancy. Oh yeah with a HUGE fused placenta on top. That is not a typical presentation, so I wouldn't worry about that. Beside of the dozens of twin mamas I know OL and IRL, most delivered vaginally. The odds ARE in your favor no matter what those stinky old docs say.

Mama to 4 darlings. A ('03), O and K ('06), A ('09), and wife to M since 2002.

I am planning a VBAC at a hospital birth center. They have a 12% c-section rate (vs the 35% at other hospitals and nearly all births are attended by midwifes there. VBAC success rates are very high. It's low to no intervention as a general rule and they routinely leave the baby with mom right after birth, skin to skin without washing them off or weighing them or anything for 1-2 hours as the parents want. I will have an AquaDoula tub in the room with us, separate from the bathroom. All rooms are private. Since free standing birth centers in WA don't do VBACs and I am not able to find a provider I really am excited about for a home birth, this is the best option for us. Thankfully I have found a great private practice, independent midwife for prenatal care and to attend the birth. I really am enjoying seeing her for prenatal care and there is a good rapport between both my husband and me and her. When we toured it felt more like a birth center than a hospital. With my son, we were at a big teaching hospital and it was horrible.

Katie, mama to one big boy (6/03) and one little boy (12/08).It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.

right now i have a midwife who can do homebirths or hospital births. we will probably do a hospital birth due to my history of high blood pressure and the fact that i am a VBAC with a higher risk for pre-e and PIH. i will also be seeing an OB for a consult in case i have to transfer. he's her backup and is apparently very good, a number of my friends have used him and said he's great. regardless my midwife will be my advocate and that's what i really need. i had no one to advocate for me in my last birth and ended up with PTSD and severe PPD.

Mummy to dd (Jan 13, '07) born by emergency c-section at 35 weeks due to severe pre-e : and ds (Jan 30 '09) : and (06/11)

sarahmagoo, I'm a little confused--does the hospital have child care or something? How is it easier to have child care for a hospital birth than at home? Really just curious.

If we had baby in hospital, we would just need one person to watch both kids, and it could pretty much be any of our family or friends. If we had baby at home, I would need one person for each kid since my daughter would most likely want to be in and out during the birth, and we would need someone else to stay with my son when she's in with us. The person with my daughter would also have to be comfortable being at the birth, which rules out a bunch of the friends. Make any more sense?

If we had baby in hospital, we would just need one person to watch both kids, and it could pretty much be any of our family or friends. If we had baby at home, I would need one person for each kid since my daughter would most likely want to be in and out during the birth, and we would need someone else to stay with my son when she's in with us. The person with my daughter would also have to be comfortable being at the birth, which rules out a bunch of the friends. Make any more sense?

yes, thanks =) It just perplexed me a bit coming from the standpoint of one toddler! I hope I wasn't rude in asking, I'm just dreadfully curious at times!

yes, thanks =) It just perplexed me a bit coming from the standpoint of one toddler! I hope I wasn't rude in asking, I'm just dreadfully curious at times!

You weren't rude at all. After my son watched a waterbirth on YouTube, he'll probably want to be there as well. He kept asking for "baby bath" over and over again. Really, I should have two people - one for each child - who don't mind being in the room for the birth.

In Alaska, it's illegal to VBAC with a midwife, so I'll be w/ an OB at the hospital. *sigh* Unfortunately, the hospital here *sucks* and you can't bring your own birth tub. Grrrr.

I'm in AK too. That "rule" sucks royally.

There are some other, less orthodox, options for a VBAC, you know. The first, is simply waiting until labor starts and you get thisclose to the pushing stage, then walk into the hospital. I know of a few people who literally drive to the hospital parking lot and labored until it was too late for a C-sec, then went in and delivered vaginally.

Another option is an unassisted birth- or at least not assisted by a doc. I'm training to be a doula and I know of a couple doulas (myself included) who may be interested in attending a birth as the only attendant. Doulas can offer support, pain-relief and comfort, but not medical care, perse.

The final option I can think of is to find a lay midwife or a renegade who'd be willing to do an underground VBAC with you. You'd have to check in the AK tribal forum and/or talk with some people in the birthing community who you think might be open to helping you out.

I believe women should be allowed to have the birth they want without politics and the Man interfering. I hope you can figure out a solution or come to peace with your doctor. (((hugs)))

I'm planning to have my baby at a birth center with a midwife. My 2nd child was a homebirth, but we moved and I am too far from those midwives now. Sigh. There is another midwife in my area who does homebirths, but I didn't "click" with her...and I really liked the midwives at the birth center. So, alas, this will be in a birth center.

Dh and I are expecting baby #6 between Jan 11th-13th. This will be our 3rd homebirth and 2nd Unassisted birth.

#1 was a birth center waterbirth with a very non-interventionist GP
#2 was a dry land hosp birth with an overbearing, intervention loving OB
#3 was a birthcenter waterbirth with a wonderful CNM
#4 was a home waterbirth with with a wonderful CPM midwife
#5 was a home "showerbirth" (not quite a waterbirth lol) Unassiated with just myself. ( My other kids waited outside the bathroom door! and this one was the best of all!)
#6 is planned as a home UC waterbirth.(Hopefully Hubby will make it home in time, if not my kids are getting to be good apprentices! lol)